The present invention relates to banners, and more particularly to an apparatus for supporting banners to a vertical rod, such as a motor vehicle antenna, in an unfurled state.
Many type of devices are known in the art to display banners to an antenna of a motor vehicle. These banners may display indicia or symbols expressing one""s support for a political candidate, personal cause or sports team. The banner may also include a flag of a particular nation or advertisement for a business. The prior art describes a number of devices for supporting and displaying such banners on an automobile antenna in a natural and unfurled state when the automobile is stationary.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,909,147 to Crowder and 4,875,431 to Dobosz show flag attaching means for supporting a flag to a motor vehicle antenna. The attaching means includes a clip for securing the flag, made of cloth or other flexible sheet material, to the antenna. While the flag is free to wave in the wind to provide a natural display of the flag when the motor vehicle is moving or when the wind is blowing, the flexible flag does not remain in the unfurled state when no wind is present, resulting in the covering of the indicia or symbols imprinted on the flag.
Other examples for supporting pennants to an automobile antenna further include U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,905,140 to Acklam and 2,856,891 to Soloman. These pennants and support means overcome the disadvantage of the flag attaching means described hereinbefore by providing a flag or pennant formed of rigid material so that the indicia disposed on the pennant is readily visible at all times even when no wind is present. The pennants, however, appear as signs attached to the antenna rather than free waving flags.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,024,833 to Pook et al. and 4,700,655 to Kirby show a sign and flag support wherein the flag includes a vertical and upper horizontal sleeve for receiving a vertical rod and a horizontal rod, respectively. The rods display a cloth-like flag in an unfurled state at all times, however, the support apparatus is complex and unique, and therefore not easily transferrable to various vertical rods or antennas.
This invention offers advantages and alternatives over the prior art by providing a banner and banner support assembly having a banner support comprising a vertical clip portion and a horizontal arm portion for supporting and displaying a banner or flag to an antenna in an unfurled state at all times. The banner includes a vertical sleeve at one edge of the banner for receiving the antenna, and a horizontal sleeve for receiving the horizontal arm portion of the support. Advantageously, the assembly may be easily clipped to an antenna in an unfurled state. The minimal support to maintain the banner in the unfurled state also allows the banner to be displayed in a substantially natural state, permitting the banner to wave in the wind. Further, the clip allows the banner assembly to the easily secured to the antenna at any desired height.
According to the present invention, a banner and support assembly for securing a banner to a vertical rod comprises a banner having a vertical sleeve disposed along a side edge of the banner and a second horizontal sleeve disposed along an upper edge. A banner support secures the banner to the vertical rod. The banner support includes a clip for clamping the banner to the vertical rod and an arm extending from an upper end of the clip. The arm extends through a predetermined portion of the second sleeve of the banner to consistently display the banner unfurled. Preferably the clip is generally C-shaped and frictionally engages the vertical rod. The arm may be integrally formed to the upper end of the clip. Alternatively, the arm may be form of a generally L-shaped wire having one end engaging the clip and a second end for supporting the upper edge of the banner. The banner support may comprise a clip and an arm formed of generally L-shaped flexible, formstable sheet material.